Nonprofit to build new subdivision

The Westside Community Development Corp. will break ground in July on Louis Barnett Jr. Estates, a subdivision that will offer home ownership to families in west Tuscaloosa.

By Ashley ChaffinStaff Writer

The Westside Community Development Corp. will break ground in July on Louis Barnett Jr. Estates, a subdivision that will offer home ownership to families in west Tuscaloosa. “Louis Barnett Jr. was sort of a stalwart in West Alabama in the efforts that he made, and he was an advocate for building low- and moderate-income houses for families,” said Gregory Eubanks, development associate and consultant for the nonprofit Westside Community Development Corp.Barnett served as the corporation’s executive director from 2004 until his death in 2010.“What we have decided to do as a board is name this subdivision after Mr. Barnett. It is 59 units of single-family detached homes,” Eubanks said.The homes will feature security systems, a laptop computer system with Wi-Fi provided and all energy-efficient building materials and appliances. People who are interesed in qualifying to purchase one of the homes must first complete a homeowner’s education course.Deborah Brown, Westside Community Development Corp.’s executive director, said that while budgeting is its most important aspect of the course, it also teaches everything from lawn maintenance to how to read a credit report. “Our previous subdivision is our track record — all of the homeowners graduated from the homeowner education class and now they are housed in the Dr. Cordell Wynn subdivision,” Brown said. The subdivision is named after Cordell Wynn, a former Stillman College president who founded the Westside Development Corp.The current project expands on their previous work with the goal of including a corporate entity, an idea that began with Barnett. The hope is that they can bring businesses such as banks and grocery stores — two enterprises that are lacking in west Tuscaloosa — into the area. State Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, said that bringing in commercial entities is important because the people of the west Alabama community spend money the same way people in other parts of Tuscaloosa do. “Those in west Tuscaloosa need to have banks; they need to have other businesses where they can shop in terms of conveniences,” he said. “Other than that they have to go across to midtown and other areas in Tuscaloosa so that is very important in terms of people to be able to shop locally in their neighborhoods. ”Eubanks said that when someone receives a good job they tend to move out of the area. Westside Community Development Corp.’s goal with the inclusion of commercial properties is to encourage people to continue living and working in west Tuscaloosa.By the time the project is complete in 2017, it will have cost an estimated $6.7 million. This includes $2 million on infrastructure alone. The first phase of the project is expected to have the infrastructure of 27 lots done by September. Westside Community Development Corp. relies on donations and partnerships with those in the public and private sectors to fund their projects. Brown stressed the difference between the corporation and other entities providing housing. “Low- to moderate-income does not mean no income, you do have to have income,” Brown said. “We are not Section 8, we are totally different from community services, we are totally different from Habitat (for Humanity), we are totally different from the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority in that we build houses from scratch. We actually develop the community.”Westside Community Development Corp. is accepting applications for those interested in buying a home in Louis Barnett Jr. Estates. Applications are available at the McDonald Hughes Community Center.